I let out a loud yawn as the near darkness of the School for Gifted Unicorns’ library surrounds me in what some would say is ‘blissful tranquility’. I of course would have given anything for there to be some kind of activity. That would have at least kept me more alert.

I sat all alone in the library, way past midnight, head resting on my hooves and quill enveloped in my azure magic, still scribbling away on my notebook while my eyes diligently scanned page after page of the fiftieth books I had read since I had started this project.

I sighed, eyes feeling heavier with each passing hour. My mind was quickly becoming hazy, signaling that I may be at a near end of the evening. Maybe I should get some rest.
“Heh, not an option, I’m afraid,” I told myself in a determined tone. Come Tartarus or high water, I had to get my project complete before the sun rose again.

I took another yawn and looked over the very first page of my project, the cover bearing the title and my name.
Heh, “Arcanum,” I said somewhat out loud. “Who would name their son that?” I asked before I shook my head slowly. I never had much of an affinity for my name.

Growing up, it put me through all sorts of groan-inducing situations. More often than not, I felt like I was being hastily judged because my parent’s bad choice of name. Matters were never helped when my cutie mark finally appeared as an Artium Arcanorum Magicae Circulus; a freagin’ Arcane Magic Circle, complete with small runes and intricate lines. To this day, I had no idea what it really meant.

Sometimes, I resented my parents for forcing me down a path of arcane studies. Just because they were mages didn’t mean I wanted to be one myself. Honestly, I’ve always been more interested in the sciences. Had I the choice, I would change my major and just focus on that. But, I’ve come too far to just give up all my work. What’s done is done, and honestly, I’m not half bad at magic. “Now, if I can only complete this damned thesis.”

My master’s thesis was titled [u[Magic: Order, Chaos, and Neutrality[/u], and while I had no set date to turn it in, I wanted to be done with it as swiftly as possible. One reason I was having such a hard time getting this damn thing written in the first place was because I was up against some pretty steep competition. I had to write the best possible thesis if he wanted to stand a chance against some of my peers.

I once again yawned, rubbing my eyes and running his hoof over my light aquamarine mane. It somewhat matched my coat, which was a navy blue. Now, that somewhat contrasted against my eyes, which were a plain black color, which from what I know is quite uncommon among unicorns. Not that it matters much, as my cutie mark more or less put me in a position where I was anything but common.

I put that idle thought out my mind as I again turned my attention to the book I was almost complete with. The more I read, the wearier I grew. I caught myself several times nodding off into slumber. Every time, I shake my head and lightly knock myself with my hoof over the head. Despite my growing fatigue, I can’t stop reading.
The book had been published some one hundred and fifty years earlier, and was pretty much a forgotten piece of history that most students didn’t even know existed. In a nutshell, the book described in detail how magic was not a simple form of energy, as most grade-school teachers would tell you, but rather a force of nature composed of dualities. When it is first evoked, magic is in fact neutral, but quickly takes on the characteristics of the caster. This is where it got interesting. Magic could become either positively charged—corresponding to order, negatively charged—corresponding to chaos, or could remain neutrally charged, which corresponded to neither side.

Naturally, the first thing that popped into my mind when it came or ‘order’ was the Elements of Harmony. The elements after all, had saved Equestria at least five times, six if you counted the Tartarus fiasco (which no pony mentions for obvious reasons). The elements stood for everything orderly in the world.
Chaos was a bit trickier. While it was true that many a dark mage had risen over the years—not counting the demon lord Tirek and Necromancer supreme Grogar, who were just evil incarnate—I could not really put them in the ‘chaos’ category. Sure, they were all out to cause harm and disorder, but on closer analysis, their reasons were often based around obtaining power or extracting revenge, feelings every pony is capable of. None of them were purely ‘chaotic’ in nature. The only being that really fit the bill of pure chaos was the draconequus Discord. Of course, that presented a problem. Discord was no longer alive, so it was something he couldn’t really validate. Nothing else fit the profile however; Discord had been the very embodiment of chaos.

One aspect the book made very clear was that both Harmony and Discord were crucial to the balance and health of the planet, one bringing about order, while the other brought about chaos. There was more to it, but that was essentially the short version. I could go into the finer details of stagnation and entropy, but that was something to best left for master mages and scientist.

Still, the more I thought about it and analyzed the text, the more curious I became.

Discord, while not the greatest villain to ever walk the face of planet, had still been a great threat to it. Three times he had run rampant over the land, and all three times he was subdued. Two of those times, he was sealed away in stone. The third and final time brought about his demise.

It happened exactly ten years ago. Discord had once again risen, more malicious than he had in the past thanks to the evil bastards that had chosen to make Equestria their playground previous to his return. Discord absorbed the leftovers, and like a mop to a bad spill, spread both chaos and malice everywhere he went. He came very close to turning Equestria into a land of outright depravity.

The princesses once again called on the Elements of Harmony, who had grown hardened by the villains they had defeated up to that point. This time, they were not playing around. The six faced Discord, and with the added aid of the princesses’ magic, ended Discord’s threat once and for all.

As I looked back to my notes, flipping page after page until I got to a section I had written several hours earlier, I started to realize that something was no longer adding up. I felt a very strong sense of unease, as if I had uncovered something no other pony had. As I started to really analyze my notes—which at the time of writing had been merely transcribed information—I began to see a pattern emerge. As I compared my notes and the book’s actually text, I started to put together key phrases and played around with entire paragraphs. It was then that I uncovered a massive inconsistency not only with the information I had written, but the very books I extracted the information from in the first place.

Discord hadn’t just been some spirit of mischief using chaos for his own ends. No, he was THE Lord of Chaos; there was no question about that. His very existence was to stand opposite the Elements of Harmony, a role that I now know is essential to maintaining worldly balance. He might have been a trickster and a prick, but he had been integral to the world’s health. If history said he had been destroyed once and for all, and that chaos was forevermore conquered, then that meant…

Once again, I looked over my notes, this time rearranging pages in a way that would hopefully form some kind of pattern. It wasn’t long before I did the same with the books and scrolls. Suddenly, the pattern came to light, and I took a step back, shocked at what I had uncovered.

The very fact that Discord was destroyed stood against the very nature of balance: if Harmony exists today, then so must chaos. If Discord had truly been destroyed, his chaotic energies would have spread the world over, changing the very nature of all ponies. The book made it clear that should that happen, ponykind would likely face self-destruction. Chaos however, was not present in the land. The world was more peaceful than it had ever been. If Discord was indeed gone, then what became of his chaos?

I clenched my teeth, gut having gone somewhat cold. Thesis or no, I had uncovered something no other pony had, or, if they had, had made sure to hide away. Though I knew I could just drop the matter and go about my life, I had to get to the bottom of it!

And to do that, there was only one pony who knew chaos batter than most others. She had faced it twice.
[center* * *[/center]

I stood right outside the headmistress’ office. I took a deep breath of air and steeled myself. I still wasn’t sure if what I had uncovered would be viewed with shifty eyes, but if anypony was to give me answers, it was her.

One of the reasons I was nervous was that it wasn’t every day that a student spoke directly to the headmistress. It wasn’t so much that she was frightening, but more to do with her reputation. The headmistress of the school was none other than the Twilight Sparkle, who was of course, the element of Magic and one of the nation’s six greatest heroes. She was promoted to headmistress when the last headmaster retired.

Knowing well that the more I delayed, the more I would lose my nerve, I knocked on the door with a somewhat shaky hoof. There seemed to be no reply.
“Dammit, why did you have to come in such short notice? Of course she’s not going to answer,” I thought to myself. It made sense. Why should I bother the headmistress with such a question?
“Why shouldn’t you? If you have indeed uncovered something hidden, the world deserves to kn—” I started, but was cut short when lavender magic enveloped the double doors before they swung open. With another deep breath, I walked in and right up to Miss Sparkle’s desk.
“Ah, Mr. Arcanum, what a pleasant surprise,” she said with a sincerely pleasant voice. “Have a seat,” Miss Sparkle motioned with a sincere smile.
“How do you know who I am?” I asked, not quite thinking my words over. Twilight in turn, smiled. “Your parents and I graduated in the same class.”
“So, you knew my father?”
“Yes,” Miss Sparkle replied. “Nox was quite the brilliant wizard a good friend.”
“Indeed,” I said, losing some of my unease.

I levitated my saddlebags and placed them on one of the armchairs near me. I then turned my attention to Miss Sparkle, but not before getting a good look at her office, the walls of which were packed to the brim with knickknacks. I swear, there was everything on those walls, from parchments and quills, to books on all possible topics, to trophies and certifications. My gaze drifted around till my eyesight locked on a display case right behind Miss Sparkle. Inside, five distinct necklaces shimmered. I instantly recognized them as the real life elements of Harmony, each bearing its bearer’s cutie mark. For a moment, I’m struck with awe by their presence. Even when inactive, the power of the elements is massive. He could feel arcane powers flowing through his veins. However, the next thing that struck me was that there were only five on display. “Last I checked, there were six of them…”

I shook my awe away and focused on the task at hoof. “Miss Sparkle,” I started, “first off, I would like to say what an honor it is to meet you in person. Secondly, I would like to thank you for allowing me this small meeting with such short notice.”
“No problem Mr. Arcanum,” she said, crossing her hooves on top of her desk. “Now then, how may I be of assistance?”
“Yes,” I replied. I cleared my throat and reached for my saddlebags. “You see,” I started, “while preparing my thesis, I came upon a matter that I feel has not been properly investigated by anyone in the school.” Using my magic, I reached for my notebook. “It has to do with the nature of order and chaos.” I placed the notepad on Twilight’s desk and flipped it open on a heavily annotated page, which I had literally rewritten using portions of my other notes. “As you of all ponies would know,” I started, slight chuckle escaping my lips, “Discord was one of the nastiest things to ever terrorize Equestria.” I looked looked up at the five elements of harmony, “and of course, when you and your friends, uh,” I gave a slightly nervous cough, “well… once and for all vanquished Discord with the help of the princesses, you uh,” I shrank back a bit, thinking over my coming words carefully. “Well, you all… sort of…” I sighed, telling my words flow without much thought. “You all broke the balance of nature.”

I braced myself for whatever was to come. I mean, the audacity; to blame a national hero of doing something grievously wrong! Who does that?

“Yes, I am aware of that Mr. Arcanum.” Twilight replied to my accusation in a tone that was neither annoyed nor calm, but almost deadpan. “You can rest assured that that matter was handled.” Twilight said with what almost sounded like bitterness.

I stood there, somewhat stunned. Twilight Sparkle; the Twilight Sparkle, had just admitted to having been aware of performing an act that could have potentially doomed the world.

I… I almost didn’t believe it.

“Well, yes…” I started, tone still full of uncertainty, “but that’s just it! Chaos was contained, yet, none of the books give a reasonable explanation as to how that came about.”
“What is there to explain?” Miss Sparkle said, tone now showing some slight annoyance. “Discord was vanquished, and peace was restored to the land. Everypony has lived happily since.”
“But—” I said at first, but cut myself off before I said anything potentially stupid. I instead opted to close my eyes and take another deep breath of air to steel himself for what I was about to say. “Miss Sparkle, that’s just it! I believe I’ve uncovered an inconsistency with that. Discord’s demise should have not taken place. Had he really perished, the chaotic powers he wielded would have spread to the land unchecked. According to what is written in the history books and manuals of magic, there was no such outcome. Yet, I know that isn’t true. It can’t be true.”
Twilight’s eyes grew war as she looked at I with diligence. “What are you getting at, Mr. Arcanum?”
“Miss Sparkle,” I started, “what I’m getting at is that Chaos was somehow contained. According to my research, that can only mean that another Chaos Lord exist somewhere out there, possibly…” I gulped, looking up at the missing element of harmony. My sudden epiphany must have shown in my face, because Twilight’s expression suddenly hardened. I took a step back, slowly shaking my head. “How… how is that—that even—”
“MR. ARCANUM!” Twilight suddenly bellowed, face stern and steely. She looked me over, almost as if deciding what to do with me. Finally, she let out a long sigh, her face losing its sternness, and instead dropping into a pained frown. “We… don’t like to talk about that day Arcanum,” she said, her tone so soft and… casual, that she no longer referred to me as mister, but just by my first name.
“Something… something happened to one of you, didn’t it?” I asked, not really sure if I should have even asked that in the first place.

At first, Miss Sparkle said nothing. She looked me over with a look that mixed in various emotions: anger, regret, surprise, and strangely enough, happiness. “Does anypony else know what you are telling me right now?” she suddenly asked me. I thought about it more deeply before shaking my head. In return, Twilight game him a soft smile. She walked away from her desk and up to a bookcase, where she levitated a blank tome and placed it on her desk, open. I gazed at its contents and found a hastily drawn map.

“You are right Mr. Arcanum,” Twilight suddenly started, looking at the case containing five elements of harmony, “chaos was indeed contained and there is indeed a new chaos Lord. However, the truth of the matter is not as you would think it.” She suddenly out a somewhat bitter chuckle, “Life, rarely is that simple.” She levitated my notebook up to her and scanned it over, reading my notes with speeds I could never hope to match. She smiled quite broadly. “You really are Nox’s son.” She closed the notebook and looked me in the eye. “Seems like fate has chosen you for a special task. No one else could have put two and two together as quickly as you did, and even then, they would have never figured out the true implications as you have.” She smiled. “I know about fate Arcanum; I was once the Element of Magic, and the very spark that brought the other five together. It was a destiny given to me before I was even born. Now,” she pointed a hoof at me, “you’ve uncovered your own fate.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Here,” Twilight said, walking behind her desk and pointing to the map on the tome. “This book contains all my years of notes and research. Dash and I spent five years looking for her, and we never found her. She didn’t want to be found. Still, she left clues, clues that would one day point the right individual to her, so the truth could finally be known.” Twilight smiled as she looked at me. “Arcanum, your fate beckons.”
“My fate?” I asked, feeling more confused than I should. Twilight nodded, levitating the book towards me. “I will provide you with the necessary supplies and funds for your trip. All I ask in return is that you do me one favor.”
“And what would that favor be?” I asked, somewhat dreading my words.


“That you find her. Find her, and you bring her back home.”

Twilight’s words still rang in my ears like a small pack of angry bees. It had been almost six days since Miss Sparkle had said those words and had sent me out on this journey in search of the real truth.

My trip had led me out of Canterlot and into Ponyville, where I met a few odd characters and gathered up a few more supplies. Then, the trip led me right into the Everfree forest, the last place on Equestria where chaos ran unchecked. It was here that the maps became incoherent, yet it was the only place in the world where chaos could even thrive unchecked. Despite there being no one single road that led to the destination, I knew well it was the right path. Still, that meant I was on my own.

“She was once kind and caring, but that changed when she become chaos. There is no telling what you’ll find today, or if you’ll even find her at all.”

The more I really thought about those words, the more I started to believe that the only thing ‘fate’ had picked me for was to fail. Here I was, in the middle of the most dangerous stretch of land in all of Equestria, seeking out an entity that as far as I knew, didn’t want to be found.

“But what can you tell me about this new bearer of chaos? Who is she?” I asked.
“She was one of us once, the kindest and most understanding. I think it was because of this that she chose to bear all chaos so that none of us would.”

Those words still haunted me. Why would anypony choose such a fate willingly?

“But why would she choose that fate?” I asked, unable to comprehend the motive behind such a horrible decision.
“She chose her destiny Arcanum. We all have to choose our destinies at some point. What we do with our lives is wholly on us.”
“Destiny?”
“Yes. Fate and destiny are two very different things. Destiny we can influence; fate comes to us when we least expect it. How or why is something we may ask, but in the end, we must learn to accept fate.”

Miss Twilight’s words still resonated with me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized her words meant more than just my current path. She was referring to my life as a whole. I wasn’t living my own dream, but the one my father wanted of me to live. It was because of him that I learned magic, that I became a wizard and gained my cutie mark. Deep down however, I was dead; a sleep-walker who only followed and never led.

I swore I would follow my own path soon as I uncovered the real truth.

“But how will I know I’ve found her?” I asked Miss Sparkle.
“You will know, trust me on that.”

Those last words got to me. As I thought them more closely, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was running an errand for a pony—hero or not—who just wanted to save herself some hassle? Was I being played? Being made a fool off?

Part of me though that idea was preposterous, but then again, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

As I walked through the dark forest, I could feel countless eyes looking me over. I had no idea what they wanted, but they felt stoic and guardian-like. The deeper I moved into the woods, the darker and more menacing the surroundings became. As I looked closer at the dark foliage, I noticed how it was moving away on its own, as if leading the way to some unknown end. Miss Sparkle’s words came back to me, and I gulped. Realizing I had no other choice in the matter, I followed the path made before me.

What I gazed upon next would have made any sane pony turn tail and run: dozens of creatures, each more dangerous than the last, stood in a small groove in the middle of the Everfree forest. All around was chaotic imagery, almost as if I had somehow walked into an alternate dimension. I took a step back, and I suddenly found myself bumping into a dense hedge. The road I had taken to get to this place was sealed off, and I was trapped with every manner of Manticore and Hydra and Timberwolf and Ent and just about every deadly creature the forest could breed.

I gulped, already counting the ways I would be torn limb from limb. I closed my eyes and resided myself to the painful end that was sure to follow…

…Except, the end never seemed to come. A full minute passed, and I was still standing, completely unharmed. Despite the fear I felt, I opened my eyes to find that the creatures stood there, looking at me as if I was some kind of guest of honor. The smarter beings even seemed to be bowing.

As I looked around with more care, I noticed a structure standing in the middle of what I could only describe as a bottomless pit that led straight into a sky-like void. Curiosity got the best of me, and I walked up to this impossible location, stopping short of a few inches from the void. Reaching into my saddlebag, I brought out a small empty can of rations, which I then dropped into the void. I watched as it fell into a cloud before it vanished from sight. Seconds later, I felt something metallic hit me in the head. I rubbed the spot and looked down at my hooves. It was the same can I had dropped into the void just a few seconds earlier. At least the void led back to this place, which meant no fall for eternity.

I walked away from the void, looking at the shack-like building. It seemed to have been made of a mix of wood, rock, and vines, all forming a rather nice looking home that a druid would have been quite proud to call home. I took a step towards it, and a path of floating rocks rose to lead me towards the door. I took a deep breath and walked up the rocks, each one dropping soon as my body was far away enough. It only took me a few seconds to reach the entrance, which now looked a bit larger than it had seemed from a distance. Before I could resolve to knock, the door swung open, and I was greeted by a rather odd sight: a bunny sporting a tuxedo and bowtie. He seemed rather surprised to see me, but motioned for me to come in nonetheless.

I only had to walk a few more steps before I came face to face with the one being I was looking for, the draconequus Lord of Chaos, Discord. However, I was quickly shocked when I realized just who really the draconequus really was.

“I’ve been keeping track of your movements through my forest,” Discord started, her tone somewhat harsh, yet seemingly forced. “I am, um…” she suddenly said, her tone completely changing to one far softer than before. “I guess I’m impressed, Arcanum.” Discord smiled quite broadly, her tone returning to the same booming one from earlier. “That’s right, I know who you are, and I know why you came looking for me—ACHOO!” Discord sneezed in an utterly adorable tone. I couldn’t help but say “bless you.”
“Thank you so much!” Discord said with a cheery tone. She seemed to suddenly remember who she was however, and quickly reverted back to her grim and deep tone “While I do thank you, know that you are still in one piece because I have allowed it!” She looked at me, then at her bunny servant, who only shook his head in what I could assume was disapproval. Instantly, Discord’s flair faded away, leaving the draconequus somewhat dejecting looking. “Well, I uh… while I let you find me, you still had to traverse the dark and dangerous woods to get to me. I know well you came here seeking answers, and answers you will get. You know, if you still want them… If not, I… I guess you can leave.”
“No, I think I’ll stay for a while.” I said to Discord, who grew a bit excited at the prospect. “Oh good! A visitor! I’ll get the te—” she seemed to cut herself off as she looked at me with a look of slight confusion. She then let out a slight cough and said “I mean, yes mortal, you are now my prisoner! I shall make tea—“
“Miss Fluttershy,” I said, suddenly cutting her words off, “May I ask as to why you are acting like the old Discord?”

Fluttershy, now Discord by all accounts, froze a bit at my words. She looked at me and then sighed; taking a seat on a couth that seemed to be made of clouds. “It’s because I am now Discord.” She replied. “Ever since I took on this power, this responsibly, I’ve been torn between being myself, and being what the world wants me to be. I don’t want to be the monster everypony hates, but I can’t go back to being plain Fluttershy.”
Her words struck a chord in me. IN a way, I could relate to her plight. Just like me, Fluttershy was more or less thrust into something that she may have believed necessary, but never really wanted. Now, she was paying the price of being torn between her old self.

I took a deep breath of air, and I found myself reciting Miss Sparkle’s exact words towards me.

“Fate and destiny are two very different things. Destiny we can influence; fate comes to us when we least expect it. How or why is something we may ask, but in the end, we must learn to accept fate.” I looked at Fluttershy in the eyes and smiled. “While I have no right in asking this question, what is your destiny? Is it to stay trapped in this shack for all of eternity? Or is it to take your place as one of the pillars of balance in this world?

Fate, destiny, choice: all words that had at one point held no meaning. Now, I was dictating the very embodiment of chaos on what to do. Part of me though the idea positively crazy, but after what I’d been through, I was willing to accept anything.

My words must have had some effect, because Fluttershy rose to her feet and clutched her claws into tight fist, determination growing in her face. “You are right Mr. Arcanum!” she said in a giddy tone, “I am who I am. Fate may have given me this path, but I now know what my destiny really is.” She looked at me with a warm look. “And I think you know what yours is as well.”

I nodded. I needed to further words, no further questions answered. I had everything I could ever want now, and then some.


I was greeted back at the school by Miss Twilight and the other five elements of Harmony, and company. I recognized every single one of them, as I had read of them in countless books. Pinkie Pie was ever the cheery one, Applejack, every the honest and headstrong mare, Dash, the bold and daring, Rarity, generous and fashionable, and of course, Miss Twilight, who represented magic and will. Walking next to me was Fluttershy, now chaos incarnate, but still the same kindness and compassion that had earned her a place among the other elements. The group rushed Fluttershy, who had tears streaming down her eyes. They all embraced as their old friendship was rekindled

I watched the six elements hug for a few seconds before I reached for my thesis, which sat nice and tight in my saddlebags. I looked it over for a few seconds, the events of the last few days playing before my eyes.

Finally, I smiled, and then I started laughing. I took the thesis and tore it to bits. This journey had taught me something important: follow your own path.

I gave the group one last glance before I headed for the main offices of the school. I had a major to change.